The article was originally produced on April 9, 2012, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Nissan GT-R

It's big, heavy and looks like nothing else, yet the Nissan GT-R completely changes the laws of physics and what's reasonable in the world of speed. 

Nissan's attitude at the launch of the GT-R was quite blunt and unforgiving. In order to get maximum spin on the media wheel, they openly claimed to be faster on the Nürburgring than the very king of German sports cars, the Porsche 911 Turbo. When the half-as-expensive Japanese competitor then proved to measure up, success was a fact. The result was a waiting list of up to two years in Sweden for those who wanted a GT-R. For Swedish media, only an extremely short test drive was offered at the launch, something Cars Collection were lucky to be a part of.

The first generation GT-R had a V6 engine with twin turbos and 485 horses. Through a double clutch box, the power is distributed to each wheel. A combination that on first acquaintance could be compared more to a missile than a car. Now years have passed since the introduction and a lot of much needed updates have happened. What messed up a little in the first generation GT-R were overheated gearboxes, something that is now a thing of the past. The engine has also been overhauled and with the last update in 2012, the output is now 550 horsepower - on paper, that is. Many tests that have been carried out have shown that the effect is well above Nissan's own figures. 

What strikes you when you see a GT-R for the first time is the size, it's really anything but sports car-like, it's huge. You even get the feeling of sitting high in it when you look out. A common nickname is Godzilla, the Japanese King Kong-like horror lizard seen on film. It is also quite heavy, so an analogy with the bumblebee, whose ability to fly has been questioned many times, feels appropriate. Because a car this big and heavy should be anything but smooth when the road starts to curve and the driving becomes more active. On a straight highway there is not much to think about, the GT-R is a real Gran Turismo wagon for long journeys and you sit really comfortably in the bowled sports seats, neither too hard nor soft. There is a certain noise level thanks to well-sized tires and rims. To let the driver have one hundred percent control, they have chosen Nitrogas in the tires instead of regular air. The result of this is that you do not have to release air when driving hard on the track due to increased tire temperature, which leads to increased tire pressure. 

For the ordinary driver, a GT-R may seem a little confusing at first. The screens with info can be more likened to a video game. All necessary and unnecessary information can be displayed on the screen in the center console – the g-forces (acceleration, braking, cornering), the distribution of power between the front and rear wheels, fuel consumption in diagram form, the temperature of the gearbox oil, the turbo's charge pressure and optimal shift points are displayed. Everything just like in a car game. And like in a video game with all the aids turned on, the GT-R becomes a really easy-to-drive and forgiving car. Even if you make mistakes behind the wheel, the car will help correct your mistakes. This of course makes the GT-R very fast and if you think you have the experience of what a really fast car is like to drive, these parameters will be reset to zero when you get behind the wheel of a GT-R. When you push the gas to the bottom the car explodes and shoots off like a rocket, it is with such force that you instinctively let off the gas in terror, an analogy can be made with a snowmobile with a lot of power. Full throttle is so powerful that even the driver himself experiences roller-coaster rolls in his stomach. 0-100 goes in an astonishing 2.8 seconds, which is the same time as the three times more expensive Lamborghini Aventador.

 

Like the bumblebee, the Nissan GT-R has proven its ability to fly in the name of speed. With a price of just over a million, this feels like a pretty strong argument that the Nissan GT-R has beaten Porsche to the punch in what is possible to do. What you will be drawn with if you choose a GT-R is that the analogy with Godzilla remains. Although in context it feels more like an advantage than a disadvantage, Godzilla jaws up most things and so does a Nissan GT-R.

+ A violently potent supercar for reasonable money, relatively easy to drive.

- Quirky look that doesn't suit everyone.